Friday, December 30, 2011

So in my recent haul, which you can see here, I picked up some of the e.l.f. (eyes lips face) cosmetics to try out while I was at target. I'd heard of the $1.00 makeup brand before, but never tried it. So, I decided to give it a whirl. The first things I'm going to be reviewing are three eyeshadow quads I got, each $1.00.

"Punk Funk"

Contains: one sparkly hot pink, one deep purple, a cobalt blue and a white-cream color for a highlight. The purple and blue in this quad are a little messy. They are pretty pigmented colors though. The pink color I really love! It has glitter in it, and not just shimmer, like chunky glitter. But, for a crazy colorful look, I think it would be great!

"Day 2 Night"

This is the PERFECT neutral eye quad for beginners. It has colors that are great for everyday, like the highlight color and the light brown, then it has two darker colors, the dark brown and dark charcoal colors, which are perfect for a quick transition to night.

"Silver Lining"

This quad was my favorite! It has a very light rosy pink, a deep gray/silver color, a plummy purple and a highlight color. I loved this quad, I even wore it out last night just to try it! The colors are more pigmented than you would expect for only $1, and over a base they are even better! I really enjoyed this quad and will probably be using it in the future!

Good: for the price these are very nice quality. I would definitely recommend these for younger girls, beginners or simply any beauty lover on a budget.

Bad: when you blend the colors on your eye, they fade like crazy! And, as far as I know, you can only get them at Target, so if you're not a big online shopper they may be hard to get your hands on.

Another Note: Last night I wore the Silver Lining quad on my eyes out to dinner and while I was pleasantly surprised with how it looked, when I woke up this morning I had a big swollen eye. Now, I'm not blaming the e.l.f. product, I'm just wondering if this has happened to anyone else or if you know why it may have happened?? Please comment and let me know! :)

Overall, I would recommend these, especially since they are so inexpensive. The quality obviously isn't that of a department store brand, but for someone just looking for some inexpensive but good quality products, this is the way to go!

I'm back with another gift that gives back! The website is called Made By Survivors, and they do AMAZING things. All of the items on this website are produced by women that were either in the sexual slave trade or are at high risk of being put into sex trafficking. The proceeds go towards their wellbeing and rehabilitation. For Christmas, I both received a gift from this website and gave one. I got my sister the Kofi Wallet in green, which looks like this:

It was only $17.00, without shipping. It is made from recycled materials and is from Ghana. The quality of the wallet was surprisingly good, and my sister loved it!

Santa also brought me this Elephant Applique Handbag in red. I'm OBSESSED with elephants and think it's beautiful! The amazing thing is this bag is 10" x 12" with a zipper pocket in the front and length adjustable strap, and it only costs $12.00. It's really nice quality, too! This bag is made by high risk girls for sexual trafficking in Northern Thailand, which is one of the biggest contributors to the human slave trade.

Made By Survivors has everything from clothing to home decor to jewelry and handbags. The company says their goal is "to end slavery through economic empowerment and education" and to give the women in and at risk of being in the sex trade the "tools they need to build safe, independent, slavery-free lives." The shipping is fast, it took about a week for standard shipping, and you get confirmation emails when it has been processed, shipped and when it should have arrived. After everything these women have been through, it is an amazing way to help provide them with the lives they deserve.

Please go check out this website and the amazing things they are doing!

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Audrey Hepburn was and still is a style icon to girls and women everywhere. She was a true beauty and she was able to make simple and classy extremely chic until the day she died. Audrey liked clean cut lines with solid colors, like black, white, pink and red. She wore few patterns, only stepping out in plaid and stripes occasionally. Another signature item Audrey wore was a hat, and wether it is big or small, the accessory always made the outfit just the right amount of showy.

I ran around a bunch today and yesterday and picked up a bunch of little goodies :)

First, from Forever21 I just got some basics (which will reappear in another blog post later on).

I got 3 v-necks, each for $4.80, in a tan, white and brown. I also got 2 pair of skinny jeans, one in black and the other in a gray-blue color, both for $10.50

Next, from Aerie I just got three cami's in white, navy blue and black. (more basics haha)

These were $10 each

From the Apple store I got an iPad 2, which I blogged about a little yesterday. But I'm LOVING it so far!! I got the white iPad 2 with a red smart cover:

From Bath and Body Works I just got four mini candles with glass holders, each for only $2.00 (YES, for the candle and holder combined!). I also got two mini hand lotions because my hands are so dry!

The candles are in Winter, Winter Night and one Aroma Therapy candle. Both the lotions are shea butter.

I went to Target mainly to get my things to wash my face, but I ended up picking up some e.l.f. cosmetics, because I saw that they were only $1 each and had never tried them before. (REVIEW TIME!) I also got a lash exact mascara because it was on sale and I LOVE this mascara!

And last but not least, ULTA! :)

Finally, I went to Ulta and picked up some random little nail polishes, a nail polish remover and my two favorite mascaras: LOreal Voluminous False Lashes and Maybelline's Falsies. ( I layer them)

That's all I got! I hope you all enjoyed! If you want any reviews comment and let me know!

So my hair is very thick and long, and it's SO hard to curl it! I've tried curling irons and the wand, but they just don't hold as well (maybe because i STILL don't know how to work the wand, but I'm trying!). The only way I've been able to curl my hair and make it stay is with hot rollers:

These are not some expensive kind of hot rollers, they're just the Conair Remington hot rollers, you can get them at Target or Ulta.

I let them heat up, until the dot on top turns white. Then I roll small sections of my hair, using random sizes and rolling my hair in different directions to make it not look as uniform. The box says you only have to leave them in for 15 minutes for loose curls, but I've found that with hair as long and heavy as mine is, that's not long enough. So, I just leave them in while I get ready and when I'm ready to leave, usually about 30-45 minutes later, my hair is curly!

Now because my hair is so hard to curl, I have to use some hairspray, and I switch between Garnier Fructis and Big Sexy hairspray. I just lightly douse my hair in spray then shake out my curls a little and I'm ready to go for the day! These curls usually last me from morning until night, but sometimes the underneath goes a little flat.

I'm trying to learn how to use the wand but I just can't get it to work for my hair! But, I'll let you all know how it goes! Hope you enjoyed!

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Just here with a quick update with what you can expect coming up! I'm going to be putting up a collective haul, some "back to basics" fashion looks and tips, a review on e.l.f. cosmetics, Maybelline eye makeup remover and a few other products.

Also! Just another side note, I got a twitter for this blog! It's http://twitter.com/itsagirlsblog , please go check it out! I'll be tweeting whenever I post a new blog! :) Thanks so much!

Last but not least, I got an iPad 2 today (which will be in my haul) and I'm going to be doing a review on it so let me know if there's anything you want to know about it!

That's right, the MAC Daphne Guiness Collection is now available! It launched the day after Christmas, which makes it perfect to spend your Christmas money on. There are lots of new goodies, and I can't wait to order mine! You can order them online here! There's even free shipping on orders of over $50 right now!

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

I'm just here to show you a quick way to store things, anything from pens and scissors to lollipops. Now, my favorite candy in the world is lollipops, and my boyfriend feels the need to give them to me regularly. Overtime, I've compiled a "collection" this big:

And until now, I've had nowhere cute to store them in my room, they all just sit in that box. But now, thanks to after Christmas sales at Michael's Craft Store, I've made these to keep some of them in to display (so I can hide the ugly box!):

It's super easy, this is all I used:

Everything is from Michaels:

Big Container: $14.99

Two Small Containers: $1.99 each

Thick White Tuel Ribbon: $.89 (on sale!)

Sparkly Silver, Pink and Purple Ribbon: $.99 each

Super Glue: Pack of 4- $3.99

The first thing I did was take the big ribbon and coiled it up inside, just to give it a little more sparkle. Then, I super glued a small sparkly silver ribbon on to the bottom of the big container:

Then I added a sparkly pink layer above the silver, and a purple layer around the top:

Just add the lollipops (or whatever you want to put in it) and the big one is done!

Now, onto the smaller containers. I did them similarly, to match the big one. All I did was super glue a pink and purple ribbon to the middle of each one:

Okay, now obviously you don't have to use these for lollipops like I am, you can use them for anything from desk supplies to candles:

They're extremely inexpensive and easy, but they turn out beautifully! I hope this helped you guys!

Monday, December 26, 2011

Yes, that's right girls, it's almost January already! Not only does that mean New Years Parties, Resolutions, and fresh starts, but it also means OPI will be launching the Nicki Minaj line!! I'm SO excited for this to come out! The line has 3 regular polishes, 2 glitter polishes and 1 crackle polish:

So I'm SUPER excited to do this post on one of my favorite fabric patterns ever, houndstooth! While my obsession with houndstooth started because of my love for Alabama football, lately I've been noticing the trend in the celebrity world.

While the Kim Kardashian and Lady Gaga are a bit overstated with their houndstooth apparel, I'm going to show you some of my favorite small houndstooth accessories that can spice up a simple black look (or that are PERFECT for a gameday in Tuscaloosa!).

First, is a simple baseball hat. Yes, mine has an Alabama "A" on it, but there are fashion hats like this one that are not related to the Tide whatsoever. A hat can simply add a little glamour to your look.

Next is a scarf. I'm obsessed with this scarf because it can add so much to your look. When I go out in the winter, I will wear this with dark jeans, black heels and a black peacoat and it's the perfect pop of white. Now for the houndstooth TOMS. These are perfect to wear with a white long sleeve top, black scarf and black skinny jeans; or if you're like me you'll wear them with black skinny jeans and your Trent Richardson jersey ;) . By the way, my TOMS are silver and black instead of white and black, which makes them less out there. Finally, I just added a little card and envelope that are houndstooth to show that small accessories can make a big difference in what it looks like.

So, even if you're not a die-hard part of the Crimson Tide like me, the black and white pattern of houndstooth is perfect to make a plain black and white outfit a little more exciting.

Hey everybody!
I'm here with a super quick and easy do-it-yourself idea to make your necklaces more organized. Now, I don't use this for my super nice jewelry, but for everyday, Forever21-type necklaces it works perfectly!

As you can probably tell, I didn't use a cork board, but if you would rather hang one up before tacking all of your necklaces to the wall go for it! You could even paint or decorate it all pretty before you hang it on your wall :) I'm home from college on a break right now so not ALL of my necklaces are there, but I think you all will get the picture. For longer necklaces, I just put one tack and hang the longer necklace from it, but for shorter necklaces I put two in a column, and the two shorter necklace spaces take up the space of one longer space.

See? It's as easy as that! Now, like I said, I keep my jewelry that is much nicer in a small Jewelry box, but for everyday, inexpensive necklaces, this is perfect! I hope you all enjoyed this!

Sunday, December 25, 2011

I'm SO obsessed with Chanel that it's ridiculous, but I'm even more obsessed with this Spring 2012 collection. The colors are beautiful and perfect for that beach goddess glow, as well as a night vixen. I can't wait to checkout, but right now my cart only has the Les 4 Ombres in 33 Prelude and the Le Vernis in 539 June in it. Obviously, these products are quite pricey, but they are amazing quality (as is everything made by Chanel). Shop here! Enjoy!